Paneer in Fennel Flavored Tomato Sauce

Paneer in Fennel Flavored Tomato Sauce

Ingredients: (serves 2-3 as a side)

1. 1.5 cups cubed Paneer (+ 1.5 cups of hot water if you are using store bought paneer)
2. 1.5 – 2 cups (8 oz cup size) finely chopped/grated fresh tomatoes
3. 1.5 -2 tablespoon oil/ghee/butter
4. 2 small green cardamom
5. 1″ cinnamon sticks
6. 1 teaspoon fennel seed powder (use a spice/coffee grinder to powder the seeds)
7. 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
8. a fresh grind of black pepper
9. 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
10. 1/4 cup ground almond/almond meal
11. sugar or honey to offset the tart/sourness of tomatoes (adjust amount)
12. 1 tablespoon paprika/cayenne/red chili powder (adjust amount to taste)
13. 1 -2 hot green chili pepper
14. salt to taste
15. fresh cilantro/coriander for garnish

Method:

Slice the paneer in cubes. If you are using store paneer, it will be a good idea to allow them to sit in a bowl of hot water for about 10-15 minutes. Do not discard the water they are immersed in; it can be used in the cooking later on.

Finely chop or grate the tomatoes (in a box grater). Pureed tomatoes may be used too, but something with a little bit of texture works a little better while cooking this. Heat oil/ghee/butter in a pan/pot. Add the slit green chili peppers and when they brown a bit on the sides, add the cracked cardamom and the  cinnamon. When they start to sizzle add the fennel and the ginger powder and then immediately add the tomatoes to the pan.

As the tomatoes cook, add turmeric powder, the freshly ground black pepper, almond meal, sugar/honey, salt and red chilli powder/cayenne/paprika. Stir everything together and allow the sauce to simmer while occasionally stirring to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. It might take as long as 20 minutes for the tomatoes to get cooked, reduced and the raw taste to go away.

Once done, the tomato mix would have reduced to half or less than half of the original amount and you will see the mix releasing oil. The raw taste should have gone by now. (If you want a smooth sauce, you may cool this paste and blend it smooth and then return it back to the pan).

Add the paneer cubes and gently toss them for the paste to coat the paneer. Now if you had soaked the paneer in hot water, add that 1.5 cups of that water it was soaking in and another half cup if you want extra sauce. If you have not soaked the paneer, just add about 1.5-2 cups of water to the pan and bring it to a boil. Cook until the sauce has thickened enough to nicely coat a spoon. Adjust salt.

Serve hot garnished with fresh cilantro if you want with rice or bread.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Difficulty Level: Easy

Serves: (2-3 as a side)